How Do I: Get Adobe Creative Cloud for Personal Use?

Just prior to the start of the Fall 2014 semester CalArts secured an Institute-wide license for Adobe Creative Cloud software. This agreement enables any part of the Creative Cloud suite to be installed on any Institute-owned computer.

An ancillary part of this same agreement also granted CalArts Faculty and Staff the ability to purchase personal subscriptions of Creative Cloud (for up to 2 computers) for $9.75 per year!

This article is a step-by-step process for first-time purchases of the Creative Cloud subscription. CAIT is working on a separate article for renewing subscriptions, but until it is published please send us a ticket if you need any help with that!

Included Creative Cloud Programs

Not all of the Creative Cloud applications are included with this license. Those programs that rely on an AdobeID to function, like Lightroom Mobile, Adobe Stock, and the other Adobe Mobile applications are generally not included. If you need to use these other programs they would be separate purchases that you would make through your personal AdobeID.

The list below is current as of the latest version of this guide and are certainly expected to change (especially the version numbers)

Purchasing Creative Cloud for Personal Use

The steps below focus on a website called OnTheHub.com. To be clear there is no relation between the CalArts Hub and OnTheHub.com.

This is a lengthy but fairly straightforward process. You will likely be able to get through it without much instruction, but if you get stuck or confused we've covered every step of the way beow!

During this process you'll get a few email confirmations, but I've only included what you actually need to pay attention to in this guide.

caitsoftware.onthehub.com

You'll see the cost of $9.75 (that's a per year cost) and the Add To Cart button.

You will then be prompted to either login or Register, and since this is a first-timers guide we're clicking Register.

Make sure you select the option I have an institution issued email address before clicking Continue.

After you've put in your @calarts.edu email address click Continue. The button may look different depending on the browser your using.

In the Account Registration portion of this page you can change everything but your Username and Email Address, which are going to stay as your CalArts email address.

If you make a mistake in the Proof of Eligibility section you will need to contact Kivuto directly to change it. CalArts IT has no ability to change anything on this page, it's entirely your personal account.

In the example below I mistakenly said I am Faculty, so I would need to contact Kivuto to have that changed to Staff. You can still continue with purchasing Creative Cloud, however, as the process is the same.

When you've clicked on Register you will get an email from CAIT Software in your CalArts email account.

You will need to click the verification link within that email before you can continue.

After you click the verification link you'll be asked to sign in again and will then be asked some survey questions and will then be able to Save your account settings.

Now that you've confirmed your eligibility and created your account you can actually order Adobe Creative Cloud!

After clicking Save you'll be taken to your shopping cart with Adobe Creative Cloud for ETLA (Multilanguage) - Redemption Code already in it.

Click on Check Out to be taken to the Terms and Conditions page.

You will need to click I Accept for the Offer and Legal Terms before putting in your billing information.

At this point it turns into a normal ordering process, starting with your billing address. When you've completed the form just click on Bill to this Address.

The next page asks for further billing information and can make the choice whether to pay with Credit Card or Paypal.

Choose your preferred method of payment and complete the process (regardless of the method you choose the next steps are the same).

After clicking Next and going through the payment process page (regardless of the payment method you chose) you will end up at the Confirmation page.

Make sure all the information here is correct since clicking Proceed with Order will commit the charge to your credit card or Paypal account!

After clicking Proceed With Order you will receive an email confirmation and the directions to redeem the code you just purchased.

If you click on Continue Shopping you will be taken back to the first step, so just ignore that button for now.

Either write down or copy the Redemption Code by selecting it with your mouse and clicking on the Edit menu followed by Copy.

Then click on Redeem Now!

If you already have an Adobe ID you can add this redemption code to your account by clicking on Sign In. If you have an existing Creative Cloud subscription your payment information will not change, but your next payment date will be pushed back by 12 months.

If you don't already have an Adobe ID just fill out this form and click Sign Up. Keep in mind that the email address I'm inputting here is not my CalArts email, but rather my personal email address, since this account is entirely my own.

CAIT strongly recommends using a personal email address for your AdobeID. If you choose to use your @calarts.edu email address for your Adobe account and lose access to that account for whatever reason CalArts IT will not be able to help you.

After clicking on Sign Up (for a new Adobe ID) or Sign In (with an existing account)you will be presented with the screen to enter in your redemption code.

This is where you can either type it in by hand or paste it from your clipboard by clicking the first box then going to the Edit menu and going to Paste.

When you've done that click on Activate Membership.

The page will process your redemption code and then you'll be taken to the following confirmation screen!

That's it!

After clicking Get Started you'll be guided through the download of the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application! Please do let us know if you have any questions about the personal purchase process. It is designed to be wholly independent of us in the IT department but we're always willing to answer any questions we're able to!